The decade of the 2020s started with ACT being dark for the entire 2020 mainstage season. While closed
for the pandemic, there was a change in leadership as Anita Shah moved in as Managing Director. The
first play after the pandemic closure was Hotter Than Egypt, written by Core Company member Yussef el Guindi
- a world premiere.
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2022
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Hotter Than Egypt (2022)
Hotter than Egypt is a poignant play about personal revelation. Paul and Jean, an American couple, travel to Cairo for their 24th wedding anniversary. Long-dormant troubles within the marriage start to percolate, and their two Egyptian tour guides, newly engaged Maha and Seif, become drawn into the crisis. This dramedy explores the uneven power dynamics between these Western tourists and the locals. Dreams and relationships are put to the test when old connections lead to new temptations.
Hotter than Egypt, recently workshopped through the ACT Local program, is a vivid new work from the audience favorite and award-winning author of Threesome, Ramayana, and People of the Book.
Sweat (2022)
This powerful Pulitzer Prize-winning play takes us to the forgotten heart of America, where old friends struggle to survive a fraying economy. For decades, they’ve shared secrets and laughs on the factory floor. Now layoffs pit them against one another as inequities of race and class fan the flames. MacArthur genius Lynn Nottage infuses this searing script with her trademark mix of compassion, humor, and suspense. It’s explosive drama: made in America.
